DLA Piper advised the Austrian construction company PORR on competition law matters concerning the acquisition of two Alpine subsidiaries. The acquisition of Grund - Pfahl - und Sonderbau GmbH and Geotechnics Systems GmbH took place from the bankrupt estate of Alpine.

The merger, by which Porr Bau GmbH acquired 100% of the shares in Grund Pfahl and Sonderbau GmbH as well as 100 per cent of the shares in Geotechnics Systems GmbH, was subject to approval by the competition authorities in Germany, Poland and Austria. The experts of the competition law practice from DLA Piper managed to obtain an approval of the merger in all three countries without conditions. "I am pleased for our client PORR with the approval of these two acquisitions," says Claudine Vartian, managing partner of the Vienna DLA Piper office, who supervised the project. "Acting fast and coordinated is extremely important in international mergers. Being the world's largest law firm with offices in all three countries involved, we were able to perfectly cope with this challenge."

Grund Pfahl and Sonderbau GmbH is a leading player in the field of special civil engineering in Austria. The company plans and implements projects in all areas of basic construction, including drilling, micro and displacement piles, land improvements, well construction, drainage, slot sealing and thin walls. Geotechnics Systems GmbH was responsible for the procurement of steel components and special engineering within the Alpine and operates exclusively for Grund Pfahl and Sonderbau GmbH.

The Austrian team included Claudine Vartian, Florian Schuhmacher and Georg Muntean. The merger filings in Germany and Poland were carried out by the DLA Piper offices in Cologne and Warsaw.